Coast Guard, partner agencies respond to explosion aboard sailboat

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 06/06/2020 07:10 PM EDT

united states coast guard

Coast Guard, partner agencies respond to explosion aboard sailboat

A Coast Guard 45-foot response boat medium tows a vessel back to port 6 June 2020 Avalon, California. The Coast Guard and partner agencies responded to an explosion on board a sailing vessel. (U.S. Coast Guard photo) A Coast Guard 45-foot response boat medium tows a vessel back to port 6 June 2020 Avalon, California. The Coast Guard and partner agencies responded to an explosion on board a sailing vessel. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — The Coast Guard and partner agencies responded to a report of an explosion aboard a vessel near Avalon Saturday. 

At approximately 10:55 a.m., Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach watchstanders received a call via channel 16 alerting them to a reported explosion aboard a 54-foot sailboat and that two people were aboard the vessel.

Crews from the Coast Guard and Los Angeles County Fire Department responded. 

Baywatch Avalon with a paramedic aboard transported the two people to Pebbly Beach and transferred them to a Mercy Air helicopter crew. The Mercy Air crew then transported the two people to the Torrance Hospital Burn Victim Unit. 

Coast Guard watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Station Los Angeles-Long Beach 45-foot Response Boat-Medium, as well as a Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco Forward Operating Base Mugu MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew.

The Coast Guard RB-M towed the vessel back to Avalon. 

The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Arson division. 

There have been no reports of environmental damage or pollution as a result of the incident.

-USCG-